The present invention relates to a vapor distribution device, particularly suitable to be used with electrical household appliances, such as for example irons, sterilization machines and machines for washing floors by means of water vapor or steam.
Electrical household appliances of a known type are currently in use comprising a boiler that contains water to be heated to its boiling point, so as to obtain a flow of pressurized steam.
Usually, the water is made to boil by means of one or more coils heated electrically by Joule effect and arranged inside a boiler.
The steam obtained in the boiler is conveyed, by means of an electric valve, into suitable ducts and then sent, usually upon a request of the user, to the application device, which can consist of an iron, a brush or, depending on the instances, another device suitable to use steam in the most appropriate manner.
In many of these applications it is necessary or convenient to use additives: in the case of an iron, for example, pressing an item of clothing is improved and more pleasant if fabric sizing, a fragrance or a stain remover is used.
Products for using these additives are currently known which consist of a container for separate application, which is achieved by spraying or impregnating part or all of the item of clothing by using therefore spray cans or other devices capable of atomizing or vaporizing such additives.
The main drawback of such known types of application system consists in that they require application separately from the emission of steam, and this entails above all a great expenditure of time in alternating the ironing of the item with the application of the various additives; moreover, there is a considerable space occupation proximate to the ironing board, since it is necessary to have available various spray cans, all of which are rather bulky.
Another disadvantage, which is directly linked to the preceding one, consists in that application of these substances separately from the steam is not equally effective, since the additives are sprayed onto the item of clothing, depositing by gravity onto its outer surface without penetrating deeply into the fabric.
Another drawback of known types is that the use of spray cans, despite the fact that they are now filled with propellant gases that are less harmful than in the past, is still harmful for the environment and also requires disposal of the can once its contents have been used up.
Another system for using these additives is also known which substantially consists in introducing them, usually in liquid form, into the water tank of the boiler.
In particular, for example, before the heating step it is possible to dissolve into the water drops of a fragrance or of a starching or detergent substance, depending on the electrical household appliance being used and on the purposes of the user.
This known type of system, however, has the severe drawback that over time it is very harmful to the boiler.
Part of the introduced additives, often created to be atomized but not vaporized in a boiler, in fact remains inside the boiler and deposits on the walls and on the coil: the worst problems are produced on such coil, degrading its operation and efficiency until the small electrical household appliance fails or permanently breaks down.
The aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the noted technical problems, eliminating the drawbacks of the cited known art by providing a vapor distribution device, particularly suitable to be used with small electrical household appliances, which allows to achieve a conveyance of additives, such as for example detergents, fragrances or starching agents, which is quick and simple to perform and at the same time avoids any damage to the correct operation of said small electrical household appliance. Within this aim, an object of the invention is to provide a device that allows to achieve the intended aim while providing maximum respect for the environment, both by reducing considerably the quantity of waste products to be disposed of and by eliminating the release of noxious gases into the atmosphere.
Another important object is to provide a device that allows easy and low-cost use of additives, since neither propellants nor pressurized cans are necessary.
Another object is to provide a device that is structurally simple and has low manufacturing costs.
This aim and these and other objects that will become better apparent hereinafter are achieved by a vapor distribution device, particularly for electrical household appliances provided with a boiler for producing water vapor or steam, which is connected through a first duct to at least one first means for distributing said steam, characterized in that it comprises at least one separate second duct for feeding the steam to at least one second distribution means, with the interposition of flow control means for one or more containers of separate additives.